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Free research assistance

Available for all SWC students

Falling behind? We can help.

Make an appointment with a tutor in the Library!

Assistance is available for a wide range of subjects, including (but not limited to):

• Accounting
• Business
• English (Reading/Writing)
• French
• Math
• Physics
• Psychology

Make a 30-minute appointment for one-on-one tutoring at the ITC (Interdisciplinary Tutoring Center) Desk on the 3rd floor of the library. 

Call (619) 421-6700 x5198 or email SWCLibraryTutoring@swccd.edu

See you at the Library!

Longer hours begin May 16!

Extended Hours at the Library

Finish up that research paper and study for your finals!

Saturday, May 16 - Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Monday - Thursday: 8 am - 9 pm

Friday: 8 am - 4 pm

Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm

Database of the Week

Career Guidance Center

Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center Database

Are you interested in knowing some key facts and educational requirements for a particular career? Do you wonder about future job prospects and how much you might be paid to do the job?

Find this and more in the Library’s Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center Database. The database will help you choose your college major, guide you in getting financial aid, and may even help you get work with its job search engine.

Learn how to write a resume and learn why cover letters are important. Or just for fun, take an exam to see what kinds of careers match up with your current interests, likes and dislikes. Are you in the job you should be now? Give this database a look/see! You won’t regret it.

Access to Library databases is free for SWC students and staff. Visit the Library's Articles and Databases page for a complete list.

Review by Ann Willard, SWC Librarian

Library Closed?

We're still here!

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Chat with a librarian

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Free research assistance

Available for all SWC students

National Poetry Month

National Poetry Month is here!

Did you know in the Library’s glass display case there's a great title honoring this theme to check out? It's called, Postmodern American Poetry: a Norton Anthology. It's edited by Paul Hoover and the second edition was published in 2013.

It is located in the upper floor of the library in the glass case on the left/south side of the room with the call number: PS615.P669 2013. This book, and all books on display, are available for check out. It can be found through the Southwestern College Library’s Search the Library Catalog page. Just type in the title in the search box and you can find it in the results list.

This book is a great collection of various poets’ works. Poems in the collection were written during the 20th and 21st centuries, with a sensibility towards the postmodern.

Come to the Library to see more National Poetry-related titles on display this month.

Cheers!

Review by Arnold Josafat, SWC Librarian

Check It Out

The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap 
By Matt Taibbi
New York: Spiegel and Grau, 2014.
New Book Shelf: HM671 .T35 2014

“United we stand; divided we fall.” If this is true, than the atrocities outlined by Matt Taibbi in The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap are possibly foreshadowing the demise of the United States. This book discusses the growing gap in income between the wealthy and the poor. Anecdotes about the wealthy committing crimes with impunity and the poor being stripped of their rights are balanced with statistics about class, poverty, and crime.

“There are also more black men in jail right now than there were in slavery at its peak.” In The Divide, we learn about the intersection of racism and classism, which Taibbi explores with respect to new immigrants in a chapter entitled Border Trouble. What makes this book interesting is the juxtaposition of elite crimes that go unpunished with the everyday person struggling to survive. Taibbi examines the injustice in the justice system from every level.

The Divide offers a startling look at how income plays a role in every aspect of our lives. The Wealth Gap is real, and the injustices that accompany it are horrifying.

Review by Lauren McFall, SWC Librarian

Otay Mesa Library Open House

Yesterday, the Otay Mesa Library staff welcomed students and visitors to the Otay Mesa Open House.

Students discover information about the year they were born.

The Open House featured local author (and former SWC librarian) Diane Gustafson. She provided insight about the process of writing a book, and she answered questions from attendees.




Author Diane Gustafson speaks with students at the OM Library



Coming Soon... Extended Hours!

Extended Hours for Finals

Saturday, May 16 - Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Finish up that research paper and study for your finals!

Reference Book of the Week

World Cultural Leaders of the 20th and 21st Centuries 
By Jennifer Durham Bass
Call number: Reference NX 456 D885 2007

Students seeking a concise, easy-to-read, biographical reference source will find the World Cultural Leaders of the 20th and 21st Century a useful option. In addition to offering information about world cultural leaders, this resource includes two volumes of user-friendly entries, arranged alphabetically by last name.

The volumes include 550 culturally influential icons throughout the world in a plethora of areas of achievement to include: Television personalities, actors, playwrights, dancers and choreographers, film directors and producers, writers, composers and conductors, painters, poets, and musicians to name a few. Many entries include illustrations and cover the individual’s works and contributions, achievements, career path, and various other interesting facts.

Review by Tanya Carr, SWC Librarian

Stuck?

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Free research assistance

Available for all SWC students

Check It Out

Call Number: New Book Area QC903 .P55 2011

Global climate change : a primer

by Orrin H. Pilkey and Keith C. Pilkey

Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2011

Global Climate Change: A Primer by Orrin Pilkey and Keith Pilkey (2011) is a new book in our library collection. The book discusses the reason behind climate change: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and methane. Humans (and cows) are mostly responsible for the production of these gasses. It also discusses the consequences of a warming Earth.

Once CO2 gets into the atmosphere it stays up there for a thousand years. CO2 and other gasses cause the atmosphere to act like a greenhouse, trapping heat and causing temperature to rise. The more CO2, the greater the greenhouse effect. An important number to know is the CO2 ppm (parts per million) in the atmosphere -- that is a measure of how much CO2 is in the atmosphere. During the last Ice Age it was around 180, before the Industrial Revolution (1760) it was 280, in 1958 it was 315, in 2011 is was 390, and in March 2015 it is 401. There is debate about about how high that number can go before there is irreversible climate change (some say the number was 350, 400, or is 550).

There are scientists who think we have passed the tipping point and can no longer prevent the ice in Greeland and West Antarctica from melting -- it is just a matter of how long it will take. If Greenland's ice melts into the ocean, global sea level will rise by 20 feet. If West Antarctica's ice shelf melts, global sea level will rise by 15 feel. If East Antarctica's ice shelf melts, global sea level will rise by a whopping 180 feet. If all the glaciers on Earth melt into the ocean, seal level will go up by 2 feet but it will cause a negative effect on the world water supply.

The authors discuss the issue of climate change deniers who do not believe what 97% of all climate scientists have concluded: the Earth is warming, humans are responsible, the warming will cause the melting of ice shelves (on land), and sea levels will rise. The disagreement among climate scientist is over how well the computer models are working (e.g. how fast will things happen), but they agree about the basic facts. Scientists funded by the petroleum industry use statistics to cast doubt on anything about climate change they can.

There will be many more negative impacts than sea level change. There is the issue that half of the world will lose their homes. One current prediction is that sea level will go up by three feet by the of the century, others predict it will be much more than that. As an example, Bangladesh is expecting it will have to relocate 18 million people because the country will lose 17% of their land by 2050.

Review by John Stanton, SWC Librarian

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month.

Stop by the Library's third floor to see our special display.

Books on display are available for check out with your SWC photo ID card. Ask for assistance at the Circulation Desk.

Saturday? We're open!

The main library at the Chula Vista campus is open 10 am - 2 pm on Saturdays.

Visit the library's website for more information about resources and hours.

Or, ask a librarian for assistance via our chat service -- it's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Ask Us Now!

Ask us now!

Chat with a librarian

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Free research assistance

Available for all SWC students

Website of the Week

Periodic Videos – TEDEd

Watch a Hydrogen balloon explode or see a match spontaneously ignite in an Oxygen chamber!

See the wonders of the Periodic Table of Elements as they are brought to life in this exciting new website.

The Periodic Table of Elements is a necessary fixture to any Chemistry classroom. But, the Periodic Videos at TEDEd turns a boring chart into a multimedia adventure. The interactive lessons available through Periodic Videos allow anyone to test their knowledge and learn more about the world of chemistry. Featuring 118 individual lessons, this resource is certain to improve memory retention and grasp a better understanding of the importance of each element.

Discover the Chemist in you by experiencing what these elements can really do!

Review by Lauren McFall, SWC Librarian

Check It Out

Hydrofracking: What Everyone Needs to Know
by Alex Prud’homme
Oxford University Press, 2014
Call Number: TN880.2 P78 2014

Do you want a short and easily understandable book? Looking for a subject for a pro and con paper – one which is very current and very important? This is it! This issue is currently in the process of changing not only our environment but the finances of America and its citizens. Very passionate people line both sides of the debate as do very powerful politicians.

In this work Prud’homme concisely “…explains the basics of hydraulic fracturing, considers the economic and political benefits, and explores concerns about health dangers and damage to the environment. Stepping back from the impassioned debate, Prud’homme offers an incisive introduction to one of the country’s most contentions issues.” – back cover

In the beginning of his 183 page book the author treats his readers to an easily understandable discussion of the “what”, “how”, and “where” of fracking. He also includes a glossary and a “brief primer” on fossil fuels. Prud’homme goes on to give the case for hydrofracking and then the case against it. The last half of the book contains a chapter on “The Future of Fracking”, the conclusion of the author: “Beyond Hydrofracking”, an appendix of the chemicals used in this process, notes, a list for further reading, and the index.

Books are available for four-week check out with your SWC photo ID card!

Database of the Week

SIRS Researcher

The ProQuest SIRS Issues Researcher Database has many sides. It is not only a “usual” database, where users can search in basic and advance search mode, and also by natural keywords or subject headings, but it helps these users to browse by having an impressive list of popular subjects and even shows the pros and cons of the leading issues on the front page.

Unlike other databases, it also has other features that make it a winner for academic research. If users have trouble finding topics for research papers, the database makes it easy by providing links to Today’s News or World Conflicts or Spotlight of the Month pages. Homework help is provided by the Curriculum Pathfinders link. Those who are looking for colorful statistics can find it in the Infographics link. All these links are on the right side of the main page.

Among the tabs in the top bar, it is worth it to click on the Database Features tab and check out the links on the new page. Many of the previously seen links appear here, and also some that are very useful to students writing academic papers, such as the Common Core Writing Guide and My Analysis and iThink links. They explain the writing process in one page PDFs or by step-by-step instruction. The My Analysis page also offers Additional Resources, such as citation and writing help, dictionary, debate guide and even a ready-made template to create a PowerPoint presentation outline. Isn’t that great?

You can find the ProQuest SIRS Issues Researcher Database by clicking on the Articles and Databases link from the library's main page and choose the database link under General Topics.

Databases are accessible from off campus for all currently-enrolled SWC students, faculty, and staff.

Review by Erika Prange, SWC Librarian